Robert Pera's list of headlining partners in his bid to own the Grizzlies continues to grow.

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and his wife, Ashley, a former Memphian, and Memphis basketball legend Penny Hardaway have agreed to become limited partners in Pera's ownership group, a source close to Pera said Thursday.

Pera, whose purchase of the team from Michael Heisley is being vetted by the NBA, has assembled a group with star power and local ties, including recent additions such as pop star and actor Justin Timberlake and former congressman Harold Ford Jr. The group also includes AutoZone founder J.R. "Pitt" Hyde and financier Staley Cates, who were limited partners under Heisley. Edward Dobbs, Duncan Williams and Billy Orgel also have agreed to be local partners.

Former UofM basketball star Elliot Perry has also agreed to be a partner, the source said. Perry is a limited partner in Heisley's group, too.

Manning is a former University of Tennessee standout. In a statement to The Associated Press, Peyton Manning framed the involvement in terms of his wife.

"While my focus is on playing quarterback for the Denver Broncos, I look forward to watching her become involved with her hometown team," he said.Said Ashley Manning, according to the AP: "As a native of Memphis, it was important to me that the Grizzlies remain in Tennessee and continue to have a positive impact on the community."

Hardaway starred at the University of Memphis and in the NBA. In a statement to The CA, Hardaway said the new Griz group will make the team better and added: "This is not just an investment in a sports team, it's a way for me to give back to the people of Memphis in thanks for their supporting me. When I was a child, my grandmother told me, ‘Do for your community, do for your people, do what God puts in your heart.' God puts in my heart to just give."

Pera's additions accomplished a goal that Heisley said this week was a good one.

"I've always said since I first got here that the more that people from Memphis are involved, the better this situation is," Heisley said. "There's more (Memphians) involved than when I put it together and that's good."

Former Griz president of business operations Andy Dolich quipped last month that Pera's additions means he "is getting his Ph.D. in Memphisology" and "checking all the right boxes."

Pera entered into a purchasing agreement with Heisley on June 11 and has been assembling partners since. The most significant move, at least for the team's stability in Memphis, came in late August, when the Cates-Hyde group agreed to join. In conjunction with that agreement, Pera agreed to a series of terms that essentially bind the team in town for another 15 years. The locals' share of the team is estimated at about one-third of its value. Pera is believed to have agreed to pay Heisley $350 million for the franchise.

Pera, 34, is the founder of San Jose, Calif.-based Ubiquiti Networks. The NBA's Board of Governors, which is made up of the league's majority owners, must approve his purchase. It meets late this month, though the board could approve the purchase via an e-mail vote.